After more than four decades of plans costing tens of millions of dollars, the controversial Eastern Corridor project could be coming to an end.

Envisioned as a way to make travel safer and less congested between Downtown and eastern Hamilton and western Clermont counties, the multiphase project is plagued by a lack of consensus, a lack of local money and a federal funding program that's about to go broke.

Now discussions are entering a critical stage: A mediator's report expected by month's end could recommend a halt to a critical highway relocation, starting a ripple effect shutting down related pieces of the project.

Also this month, the federal Highway Trust Fund – an account that funds the nation's highway and bridge projects – is on the road to insolvency. The region already is struggling to find $2.6 billion for a new Brent Spence Bridge, $240 million to replace the crumbling Western Hills Viaduct and millions more to complete the massive I-75 overhaul through Hamilton County.

"The continued spending on options that have no support is insanity," Hamilton County Commissioner Greg Hartmann said of the Eastern Corridor. "Some of these (federal) processes require us to study options that are never going to happen. It's a waste of taxpayer dollars."

The Enquirer learned through a public records request that the state has spent or committed $22 million since 2010 on plans for a new roadway, an expressway expansion and rail transit – all disputed parts of the ambitious Eastern Corridor project. That doesn't count the cost of multiple other studies dating to the 1970s.

It's not a huge amount of money for a project as complicated and expensive as the Eastern Corridor, estimated to cost $1.4 billion. But every penny counts, especially in the face of enduring opposition and uncertainty about transportation funding.

"We need to stop right away," said Tom Brinkman, the front-runner to represent the state's 27th House District after winning the Republican primary in May. "Actually, we've passed that point. The local citizens don't want it. It's time to move on and put the money where it should be spent, like on a new Brent Spence Bridge."

Supporters, however, say that big public works projects are never simple. The federal government requires various options to be studied as part of an environmental process.

"I'm very frustrated," said Mark Policinski, executive director of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, the region's transportation planning agency. "The federal process takes so long to get major projects done. Every segment of the government wants to be king. The benefits of the project become secondary to the power struggle of the Washington bureaucrats. Who would not want this project to be built faster for the taxpayers? Well, I can tell you: The federal government doesn't want that."

Part of that process now includes mediation. At the request of the Federal Highway Administration, the state is spending nearly $1 million on a mediator to find consensus between Mariemont and Newtown and a dozen state and federal agencies on a controversial highway relocation.

An initial assessment is scheduled to be done by the end of this month and a full report delivered by December. It will help determine whether the relocation of state Route 32 through the Little Miami River valley in Mariemont and Newtown will move forward.

If the mediator recommends planning for the Ohio 32 relocation should be stopped, other phases related to it still in the planning process also could end, state officials said.

"If you can't figure out how to do this in the next two years or sooner, yeah, stop spending the money – and spend it on other projects in the region," said Bob Slattery, an Eastern Corridor supporter and Newtown business owner. "But if it's going to happen, we'd like to see it be a positive for all the communities."

No 'prospect for funding in the foreseeable future'

The only part of the Eastern Corridor project that's been fully funded is the current $71.4 million overhaul of the interchange at Interstate 275 and Ohio 32 in Eastgate. The Eastern Corridor has five major phases that call for a new roadway, rail transit, highway interchange, bike lanes and roadway improvements.

Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune, among the Eastern Corridor's biggest proponents, says the project has had a public-relations problem since the state proposed relocating Ohio 32 along a route that would destroy a park and historic land preservation area in Mariemont.

The historic village had supported the project until then, but Mariemont leaders and residents have been united in fighting the Eastern Corridor ever since. Newtown, Mariemont's neighbor to the south, opposes the 32 relocation because it would bypass the village, potentially crippling the small business district and eliminating a large chunk of its tax base.

Portune said opposition from Mariemont and Newtown has created a perception that the entire project is flawed. He also does not support the current proposal that would wipe out Mariemont's South 80 Park.

"The whole Eastern Corridor is painted with a broad brush that everything is wrong because of the state's proposal on the relocation of Route 32," said Portune, president of the OKI board. "The phases are not contingent on each other being done. They all stand or fail on the strength of their own merit."

Madisonville has long been opposed to expanding Red Bank Road between I-71 and Madison Road. The $26 million Red Bank expansion is designed to handle more vehicles based on the 32 relocation, which would connect to Red Bank in Fairfax.

Many of the region's most outspoken passenger rail proponents are against the project's proposed 17-mile Oasis commuter line between The Banks and Milford – mostly because it goes through unpopulated areas and the economic development potential is questionable.

A study showed that only three of 10 proposed station stops has significant potential to attract new development. Part of the route would run between the Ohio River and the hillside south of Columbia Parkway – limiting development opportunities.

Most of the $4.4 million committed to the Oasis line, which would use existing rail lines, was appropriated by former Gov. Ted Strickland's administration. If anti-rail Republican John Kasich is re-elected this fall, it's unlikely Oasis will receive significant state money the next four years.

The Oasis line is estimated to cost $230 million to $323 million to start up, according to state documents. The estimate does not include land acquisition, environmental mitigation or utility costs.

"I don't see any prospect for funding in the foreseeable future," said state Rep. Peter Stautberg, R-Anderson Township, whose district includes part of the Eastern Corridor study area.

Some other East Side communities are simply indifferent to the project, mainly because funding appears unrealistic. Anderson Township has officially written a letter of support for the project, but "nobody in the local communities really sees this incredible benefit to building this thing," said Russell Jackson, an Anderson Township trustee. "Nobody complains about traffic. It's a non-issue from our perspective."

Conversely, the project has tremendous support from Clermont County residents and leaders who want a more direct, less congested way to get Downtown. Several Clermont County residents have commented on Cincinnati.com and written letters to The Enquirer this year in support of the project.

Newtown business owner Slattery has rallied a small group of business owners to work on an alternative plan for relocating Ohio 32. The Indian Hill resident has been sharing the group's plan with politicians and planners recently. Slattery did not disclose the plan to The Enquirer, other than saying it calls for relocating his popular Wags Park dog park on Church Street.

Said Slattery: "Our plan is about making sure that Newtown is vibrant and not passed over the way Batavia was when Route 32 was built." ■

Eastern Corridor at a glance

The full project has five phases, which could be completed in no particular order:

Red Bank Road expansion

Committed/spent: $3.6 million

Total estimated cost: $26 million

State Route 32 relocation

Committed/spent: $14 million

Total estimated cost: $200 million to $277 million

Eastgate Boulevard and Stonelick Olive Branch Interchange overhaul

Committed/spent: $4.2 million

Total cost estimate: $65.9 million

Oasis commuter rail

Committed/spent: $4.4 million

Total cost estimate: $230 million to $323 million

(Estimate does not include land acquisition, environmental cleanup and utility costs)